Emergent Technology (?)
Posted on April 27, 2005
Emergent _______
- A. Church
- B. Technology
- C. All of the above
- D. None of the above
- E. Not sure
Churches sure do have a lot of labels…..modern, post-modern, emergent, convergent, contemporary, traditional etc etc etc. Also, don’t forget to throw denominations into that mix. So, what is best? What makes the most sense? Which one is the most fun? Which one is going to keep my attention? What is God’s intention for the church? Answers:(in order) none, it depends, it depends, it depends, too much to address here There are so many choices for most of us concerning where we could go to church. There are many very good churches all over the place. So what is going to make your church stand out above the rest? What is going to make a visitor return next week and come to the realization that this church is where they belong? Is it the cutting edge technology? Is it how you label yourself? Is it the brand of coffee you serve? Is it how loud your band is? Is it how loud your organ is? What’s the secret formula? I am fascinated by churches, if I had the freedom to do so, I would travel around and visit a different church each week and I would visit all types. That would be fun. However, I don’t think it would help me grow in my walk with Christ, if I did that for an extended period of time, but it would be fun for a short while. So what do all these labels mean? (emergent, post modern etc.) If you’re asking me, I’ll tell you, definitely, without a doubt, I don’t know. I know what I think they mean. I read some emergent blogs and I relate to what they write about and appreciate their heart for ministry as well as the approach. They are working hard to make Jesus real for all people and that is very cool. I don’t attend an emergent church, but my church does have loud music. We are also a church that is very much reaching out to the lost and working hard to provide a place for people to see Jesus and train us to go into the world to spread God’s love. I like it and it’s my church home, but I know our style is not for everyone. I distinctly remember the moment, sitting in my old church(traditional), the organ blaring loudly, the choir singing and the thought going thru my head ‘This is not it, there’s got to be something different.’ I felt so drained spiritually. That was the beginning of a new Spiritual journey for me and my family, the Holy Spirit led us in a new direction and we have grown tremendously in the past several years. By the way, nothing personal against organs, organ music, organists or anything or anyone associated with organs. I appreciate the music, the complexity and the power that the music can exude. Really….Honest….I mean it. It’s just not for me. I have a friend who is an excellent organist and that is cool and I have a great deal of respect for her passion and dedication to her ministry. Some of you can’t understand how an electric guitar can be worshipful, but that is why all the choices we have are good. So is technology king or is the particular label king or is the denomination king or what? In my opinion, there is no right formula. Obviously, I believe technology is important for a church and ministry(otherwise, I have just written off all that I am doing in my church, as well as for other churches), but that alone won’t make a church more effective than any other. Technology can enhance any style of worship, traditional, contemporary, emergent or whatever. There are many ways to use technology in worship, but isn’t it cool to sing praise songs while being led by a simple acoustic guitar? The answer, however obvious it may seem, is not the style of worship and it’s not the fact that cutting edge technology is used in every possible way, but rather, the fact that the Holy Spirit is reaching people’s hearts. God does not need technology or labels, God needs us to spread His love and bring others to know Him. Whatever that means and however that works in your community is what needs to be done. It might mean loud guitars, it might mean a loud organ, it might mean acoustic guitars, it might mean an orchestra, it might mean Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts. Just make it real for your life and let your time in church each week prepare your heart for the rest of the week in this world.
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